Bayelsa Polls: Dickson will beat Slyva silly in southern Ijaw LGA, says pdp
Felix Okoye
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bayelsa State on Thursday said the State Governor, Henry Seriake Dickson, would beat Timipre Sylva of All Progressives Congress (APC) silly in the rerun election for Southern Ijaw LGA.
According to the party, the cancellation of the election in Southern Ijaw LGA “was a necessity because of violence and massive irregularities” which rendered the process unacceptable and as attested to by both local and international observers.
It also said it hoped the rerun election on Saturday would be a different experience which could validly ensure a free, fair and credible exercise.
In a statement issued by the Director of Publicity of the Restoration Campaign Organisation, JonathanObuebite, PDP contradicted the position of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate,Timipre Sylva, who while on the African Independent Television (AIT) programme had claimed the election in Southern Ijaw was cancelled in error.
According to the statement, holding the election in the first instance was “an institutional abuse to carry out a premeditated plan” because according to him, there were reports of high insecurity in the area which was well communicated to the security authorities but were not heeded.
He accused Sylva and the APC of colluding with nefarious individuals in some federal institutions and criminal elements who constituted themselves into militants and who he said carried out violent activities including snatching of electoral materials and holding INEC ad hoc staff to ransom.
Obuebite said the number of voters Sylva was banding about as possible turnout in Southern Ijawduring the rerun on Saturday was unrealistic as he pointed out that the average of voters turnout in all the elections so far conducted across the state was about 30 to 40 per cent of registered voters with valid PVCs.
He also disagreed with Sylva on Dickson’s massive presence in the state, saying the governor was very much on the ground and that accounted for his winning 6 of the 7 local governments so far declared by INEC.
Obuebite was categorical that Dickson would win the rerun election in Southern Ijaw on Saturday.
He said Sylva also lied about his possible victory as he stated that the local government was a PDP stronghold and that Dickson would beat Sylva there in a free and fair election any day.
On the performance record of Sylva while in office as governor, Obuebite said the PDP remained convinced that Sylva was a colossal failure as he affirmed that the huge debt burden he left behind overshadowed whatever little he did, adding that performance should indeed be measured by available resources which implied that Sylva had so much money but was wasted due to massivecorruption and leadership ineptitude.
He further said that Sylva was only economical with the truth on the issue of violence, stating that the former governor was noted for sponsoring violent activities and that the various killings byFamutangbe, a security body he set up as governor, had vindicated the PDP that he is a violent man.
“The violence and irregularities which characterized the governorship election especially in Southern Ijaw were well organized and funded by Sylva. He can’t run away from this reality which the public know too well”, he stated.
